Sole-blank-cutting machine with adjustable knives



C.' A. SAWYER, In. SOLE BLANK CUTTING MACHINE WITH'ADJUSTABLE KNIVES. APPLICATION min APR. 28. 1920.

1,378,1 38. Patented May 17,1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I- Even/0 2".

Ya (Mai-4y 5 C. A. SA-WYER, }R- v SOLE BLANK CUTTING MACHINE WITH ADJUSTABLE KNIVES.

APPLICATION FlLED-APR-28; I920.

Patented May 17, 1

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3 SHEETS-S atty.

C. A-. SAWYER, JR- sou; BLANK CUTTING MACHINE WITH ADJUSTABLE KNIVES.

N APPLICATION FI'LED APR.28 I92 0.' 1,378,138.

Pa'tnted Mai 17 3 SHEETS-SH? 3- UNITED srTEsJ PATENT. c rries.

eEAELES ADRIAN SAWYEE, 11s., 0F NEWTON, MAsSAcHUSE'rTs.

.soL -BL NK-cUrr1NG MACHINE wrrrr ADJUSTABLE KNIvEs.

representing like parts.

7 My present invention relates to leather working machines, and more particularly to leather working machines for blankingout a plurality of shoe sole blanks simultaneously. V 1

In my Patent No. 1,368,225, granted Feb. 8, 1921, I have described and claimed-the novel features of construction and arrange- -ment of parts in a leather working machine known as a clinker. In such machine, I use an improved gang of cutters for blankingout a plurality of shoe soles simultaneously, the cutters being rigidly mounted, andha-ve specifically claimed the same. In my further development of this type of machine,

and appliances therefor, I have found that cut sole blanks, of practically all commercial sizes, have the same longitudinal outline; that is, while the length of the sole blank and its width at various'points along its length, will vary in accordance with the size of the sole blank,the longitudinal edges or contour of all sizes are practically identical. It is possible therefore, to blank out soles of practically all commercial sizes by the use of but two cutter's,' -one right and one left hand. 7

r In the use of my improved leather working machine, described and claimed in the application above referred to, I have had necessarily to form my gang cutters of a plurality of cutters bolted rigidly and nonadjustably in a cutter head, and have been obliged to construct a separate gang of cutters for each size of sole blank to be cut. This course necessitated the investment of a large sum of money in fixtures and ap pliances, but one of which could be usefully employed at anyone time. p j

' Ihave discovered that there is a point along the edge of a cut sole blank, regardless of the size of the blank, about which a 'cutter'may rotate'as on a pivot, to suecessively define shoe soleblanks of all commercial sizes. Further, that the different I Specification of Letters Patent, Patented Ma Application filed April 28, 1920. Serial No. 377,321.

commercial sizes of shoe sole blanks can i be obtained by use of the same set of cutters, provided the cutters can be moved laterally back and forth on the reciprocating.

head or beam whenone. size or another is required by the operator. 'I am enabled therefore, to dispense with the multiplicity of gangs of cutters forthe different sizes I heretofore necessary, thereby reducing the investment in tools and appliances to the lowestpossible degree.

y improved adjustable gang cutters are adapted for use in dinker presses, particularly a d1nker press such as that described and claimed in my co'pending application, ab ove refer red to, and in this present application I have described and claimed the adjustable cutters in combination with such improved machine.

' The object of my invention therefore, is an lmproved leather working machine and an adjustable gang cutter therefor, adapted to be adjusted to blank out shoe sole blanks of all commercial sizes."

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of adinker press embodying my invention, 7

Fig. 2 1s a sectional side elevation on the l1ne 22 of Fig. 1, l

Flg. 3 is a plan view of my improved gang cutter, showing graphically the layout of different sizes of shoe sole blanks, and the manner of adjusting the individual the fastening means of the shaft 12 is rotatablymounted a fly 1 wheel 13, rotated usually by a belt (not shown), a nut 14: being provided to. hold the fly wheel 13 in position on the shaft. The'lower ends of the side member 10 fare connected'to'a cross bar 15 through which are threaded a plurality of adjusting bolts 16, engaging the lower face of a table 17, I

mounted for reciprocation in the frame. Thistable 17 is provided with ledges 18 and 19 on its front and rearsides respectively, to aid'in positioning a block '20, of wood or othersuitable 'material, a gib 21 and set screws" 22 cooperating with the the head 23.

ledges 18 and 19 for holding the block 20 rigidly in position.

Slidably mounted in the frame and above the block 20 is a cutter-head 23, to which a gang plate 24 is secured by means of bolts 25. A shaft 26 mounted in the head 23 parallel to the main shaft 12, has attached thereto by set screws 27, the lower end of the connecting rods 28, the upper ends of which are provided with bearings 29, engaging with eccentrics 30 keyed to the main shaft 12. Rotation of the shaft 12 will cause the reciprocating movement of the head 23 toward and from the block 20.

A clutch mechanism 31 on the main shaft 12 cooperates with the fly wheel to intermittently rotate the shaft 12 and reciprocate An operating lever 32 pivotally mounted at its lower end to one of the side members 10 of the frame, is controlled by a reciprocable safety plate 33 to operate the clutch mechanism. This clutch mechanism may be of any suitable type that will insure that a single complete revolution of the main shaft 12 for one operating movement of the safety plate 33, but as the details of construction of such clutch is with out the scope of the present'invention, such details of construction will not be described.

The gang plate 24 is of suitable dimensions to permit the clamping thereon of a plurality of cutters34 to blank out all the shoe blanks possible from a sheet of sole leather of predetermined size. On its front and rear edges are T-slots 35, in which fit a plurality of square headed bolts 36 for adjustably mounting a plurality of spring-- gang plate 24 are two T-slots 38 parallel to and spaced apart from each other and running lengthwise of the plate. 34 are constructed of a base plate 39 having a right-angled projection 40, of suitable contour, integral therewith, a flexible knife blade 41 being attached to the projection 40 by screws 42. The base plate 39 is provided with a hole at either end and spaced apart a distance equal to the distance-between the T-slots38. The holes in the base plate 39 are slightly larger than the diameter of the square headed bolts 43 which fit into the T-slots 38 and are provided with nuts 44 for securely clamping the cutters 34 to'the gang plate. The difference in diam eter between the holes in the base plate 39 The cutters that though the blanks of the different sized soles all have the same contour along their length, they are of different width, and that itis possible by maintaining the cutter at the left of the figure stationary, and rotating the other cutter 34 about the point 50 as a pivot, that the two cutters'shown may be used to cutsole blanks of any desired size. At the right of Fig. 3, I have shown a plurality of lines 55, definin the longitudinal edges of a plurality of difi erent sizes of shoe sole blanks. These linesalso represent the different positions of one of the cutters or knives 34 when in position to cut the dif ferent sizes of shoe sole blanks. I may therefore, adjust the cutters to out different sizes of shoe sole blanks by rotating the cutters about the pivot point 50, as shown in the center of Fig. 3, or may adju'stsuch' cut.-.

other than the plate and gang of cutters referred to, andwhile it may be advantageous to provide one or more extra cutters 34 for emergencies, they are not essential.

While I have necessarily shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention somewhat in detail, it is to be understood that I may vary the size, shape, and arrangement of parts constituting the same, within wide limits without departing from the spirit of the invention.

My invention is further described and defined in the form of claims as follows.

1. In a dinker press for shoe sole blanks, the combination of a frame, a reciprocating cutter head therein, there being longitudinally arranged parallel slots in said cutter head at each side thereof, a plurality of cutters defining the contour of the sides of a plurality of shoe sole blanks, and mea'ns,including said parallel slots for adjustably mounting said plurality of cutters in operative position on the head to define the contour of the sides of shoe sole blanks of different widths.

2. In a dinker'press for shoe sole blanks, the combination of a frame,'a reciprocating cutter head therein, there-beinglongitudinally arranged parallel slots in said cutter head at each side thereof, a plurality of'cutters'defining the contour of'the sides of a plurality of shoe sole blanks, and means to adjust predetermined cutters independently of the other cutters on the head, said adjusting means consisting in devices adapted-to move one cuttertoward and from its adjacent cutter. 1

nally arranged parallel slots in said cutter head at each side thereof, a plurality ofcut-' ters defining the contour of the sides of a plurality of shoe sole blanks, and means to adjust predetermined cutters independently of the other cutters on the head, said adjusting means comprising cutter holding members adapted to adjust one cutter'substam tially toward and from its adjacent cutter and on a predetermined basis or base line.

In testimony whereof, I have signedmy 1 name to this specification.

CHARLES ADRIAN SAWYER, Jr. 

